Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Power of Super 8 Film - A New Book by Phil Vigeant

Super 8 Film Book

The Power Of Super 8 Film
-Insider Secrets Every Filmmaker Should Know
by Phil Vigeant, President, Pro8mm, Burbank, CA


Many emerging filmmakers spend a fortune on equipment, expensive university film programs, private filmmaking boot camps, or over priced post-production, that often renders mediocre quality, and they still feel as if something is missing. They look at their progress as marginal compared to their financial investment, time commitment and ability to work the craft. That is the purpose of this book. Filmmakers will get the expertise I can offer from running my company, Pro8mm that has worked with industry insiders who have shot Super 8mm film for over 30 years. The Power of Super 8 Film illustrates why I invented products that changed the way filmmakers and the entertainment industry have used Super 8 film, emerging from a format used to shoot home movies in the 1950's-1970's to a professional production medium. Pro8mm workflows have been used in hundreds of commercials for national brands, dozens of 35mm theatrical releases, and award winning music videos and television shows. The Power of Super 8 Film will guide filmmakers through the steps they should take to immediately get the experience of shooting film on film, the way all the greats did.

The book is written in a non-technical style that will be easy for any newcomer to film to understand, while providing fantastic tips for filmmakers at any level on finding cameras, shooting different film stocks, choices in processing techniques and integrating Super 8 film into digital workflows and new media applications. I explain how to get a huge bang for your filmmaking buck by using an inexpensive Super 8 camera, a 50 foot cartridge of film, chemistry and the very best in digital scanning.

This book fills a much needed void among other books written on cinematography as it encapsulates the use of Super 8 film as a professional production medium giving real examples of work done in the format. It is not a technical manual on focus, lighting or other technical nuances of the craft, (of which there are plenty of existing references) but rather a guerilla guide that gets down to the nuts and bolts of Super 8 today. Nothing else like this currently exists.

The book is 104 pages, paperback and is available for $14.95 at www.pro8mm.com